A Uniform Decision

How to keep employees happy in food service

Imagine waking up and scrambling to get ready for work. Not fixing your hair, you haphazardly throw on whatever clothing is closest to you and flee from your home moments later. You finally arrive at your destination feeling like a horrible, disheveled mess. An imaginary grey rain cloud seems to float over your head for the remainder of the day. You grumble to yourself about not being able to catch a break and cannot seem to get your priorities in order.

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The following day, after carefully selecting an outfit from your wardrobe, you gracefully slink into the office dressed in your finest attire. You feel like the sun is shining for you alone and your productivity has almost doubled. So what caused this change in behavior? Could you attribute the prior shortcoming-filled day entirely to “waking up on the wrong side of the bed” or was there a bigger change between days?

Psychologists have studied the subject and the verdict is in: the way a person dresses can affect the way they feel about themselves on a subconscious level. Research has shown that children wearing Superman t-shirts become stronger, women test higher in math when they are wearing a sweater rather than when clad in bikinis, and men become more attentive when wearing a white doctor’s coat. When you feel that you are dressed to be successful in a specific role, your mind mirrors those success driven behaviors.

5 Ways to Stay Uniform and Still Make Change

We have the ability to choose a daily look that inspires us to be our best. Employees of restaurants that enforce a dress code do not have this luxury. What is the purpose of telling our employees that they must wear something that makes them feel self-conscious and ashamed of their work? In order to provide the best service to customers, it is important that your employees are also feeling their best about how they look. We have cultivated a list of alternative clothing options and dress code suggestions that could drastically change the way your employees feel about coming to work every day.

1. Toptions.

Giving employees the power to choose from multiple shirt designs and styles allows the wearer to select one that suits their own individual personality. A selection of bottom options can be a nice wardrobe addition as well. Variations in style and fit of black or khaki pants (even jeans, shorts, and skirts) could make for viable choices depending on your clientele. All options given still represent the brand and standout from patrons of the establishment, without employees completely losing their sense of self.

Ohio based chain FUSIAN Sushi gives its employees an array of t-shirt designs to choose from including standard crew necks, baseball tees, and v-necks.

2. Dressing, it’s not just for salads.

Rather than the typical white button down and black trousers that wait-staffs have been wearing for (approximately) centuries, many restaurants are opting for a more current style. Denim button downs paired with leather aprons and blue suede shoes, floral dresses, and beautifully tailored vests have become the standard in many up and coming casual fine dining establishments. When selecting new uniforms, stay true to your restaurant’s energy and locale, while giving your waitstaff a look they cannot wait to wear.

The waitresses at Elizabeth Street Cafe of Austin, Texas wear a variety of flattering summer dresses with denim aprons and the waiters wear a more Asian inspired shirt with a white apron and jeans for their shifts at the eclectic “Noodles • Bánh Mì • Boulangerie” restaurant.

3. The Fabric of Society.

Uniforms should be comfortable, durable and easy to care for. For years, uniforms have been made from suffocating synthetics and other heavy fabrics. Now many restaurants are moving to cotton and even high-performance sports attire. These new fabrics are great wash and wear options that can stand up to everything a career near a kitchen has to throw at it.

In time for the company’s 30th anniversary in 2015, Beef ’O’ Brady’s debuted a new uniform policy including a black high endurance athletic-wear top that can both endure kitchen temperatures and all of the physical activity that the job entails while fitting into the sports bar feel of the franchise.

4. Friendly Competition.

Your current employees know better than anyone what it takes to do their jobs. Have a company-wide contest to design a new uniform. Offer a prize to the best submission and allow your staff to come up with the best clothing choices for the job. Seeing that their opinions matter and that they are capable of positively effecting change could boost morale in the workplace.

There are many websites and ways in which you can have your employees submit their designs (such as 99designs.com) and have the community vote for the final decision.

Additional Clothing and Merchandise Design Services | 99designs

5. Collab.

Restaurants all over the world are building collections with fashion designers. Nix, a New York restaurant, has a specially designed collection of uniforms from a former Marc Jacobs designer, and many other restaurants are following suit. Even fast food chain, White Castle, has released a new line of uniforms after partnering with Trelfar. Collaborating with local designers to curate a more current look would give local talent the opportunity to get their name out there, and your team could rock some designer threads.

White Castle partnered with New York City functional unisex fashion brand Telfar to create a more updated look for its employees after the brand debuted a line of White Castle inspired attire on the NYFW runway. The results are both fashionable and functional with vintage appeal.

If your employees are happy with their uniforms and are taking pride in their work: the system isn’t broken, so don’t worry about fixing it. However, if there are issues with performance and a general embarrassment about coming to work, give your employees the opportunity to always wake up on the right side of their beds. Provide a uniform that fits your brand AND one your employees can be proud to wear will enable them to come work happy.

And PLEASE do not make your servers wear flair. Thank you!

Thank you for reading. Appetite is the official blog of Appfront, the data-driven solution bringing your food to the table. A tasteful blend of Restaurant Marketing, Customer Loyalty, and Online Ordering.